There is no denying that a nice set of wheels is key to setting your car apart from the crowd, not to mention, making or breaking the appearance of your ride. So, when it came time to pick the perfect wheel to outfit our Clarion Builds ’02, we decided that a set of classic BBS RS-001 wheels would be the perfect fit! Back in 1970, BBS was founded deep in Germany’s Black Forest, where the roads are narrow and windy. In the beginning, the company’s main focus was racing but this quickly progressed to street vehicles. BBS developed their first forged aluminum wheels for consumer vehicles in 1983 with the RS wheel playing an integral role within their early lineup. Known today as a true classic wheel, the RS was first designed as a 3-piece wheel ranging in sizes from 15-inch up to 17-inch. The unmistakable spoke designs and silver or gold finish options, offered enthusiasts a wheel that not only looked great but was also superior in design, making it able to handle the rigors of both street and motorsports driving. Picking the wheels we wanted was simple, finding an original set with the right specs proved to not be.

Days slowly turned into weeks as we searched high and low to find the classic BBS RS 001 wheels for our BMW 2002 in a hard to find 15×7-inch diameter with an even more challenging +25mm offset that has long been discontinued by BBS. Of course, new BBS RS “copies” do exist in the market but with the caliber of this vehicle build and our reputation as well as the reputation of our partners on the line, we were determined to find an authentic set! At the height of our desperate search, an industry contact gave us a tip and with a quick call to VR Wheels, located in the City of Industry, CA. We got ahold of owner, who told us he just might have what we were looking for, but he would have to check his inventory and give us a call back. Within a couple of hours (which felt like a couple of weeks), our guy delivered the good news: He had located a set of RS wheels, virtually forgotten, deep in the bowels of his warehouse. And the icing on the cake was, not only were the wheels in good condition, but they were the correct width and offset for our application! JACKPOT!

A quick inspection prior to purchase revealed a few nicks and dings along with a serious case of clear coat corrosion, all relatively minor issues that will be addressed by VR Wheels with a full refinishing prior to mounting.

Stay tuned for some tasty pics of our wheels as they undergo their own restoration.